Short Note Simpson Desert dunecrest assemblages

There are two distinct plant assemblages on the dunecrests of the Simpson Desert. The first is characterized by Zygochloa paradoxa and Chamaesyce wheeled. The second is marked by the presence of Calotis erinacea and Helichrysum ambiguum. There are no consistent differences in texture or fertility between the soils occupied by these four species on the sandridges though there are some differences in other habitats. Hence static soil differences cannot account for the distribution of the two assemblages. It is suggested that the Calotis patches represent populations spread from focal plants established after the 1960s drought, but this remains untested.